Ray Allen starts for Sonics

Seattle’s Ray Allen, who left Game 1 with an ankle sprain and was listed as questionable for Game 2, started for the Sonics on Tuesday at the SBC Center.

Seattle entered Game 2 facing two key questions: What would they do to slow down the Spurs — and with whom would they do it.

Vladimir Radmanovic is out with an ankle sprain. Then there is Ray Allen, who also sprained his ankle and then blamed the Spurs’ Bruce Bowen.

Allen has shot well against the Spurs this season, hitting 29 of 53 in four meetings. That includes 4 of 7 before leaving Sunday’s game with his injury.

He had two big games against the Spurs in the regular season when he averaged 26.5 points. He hit 9 of 13 from 3-point range in those two games — both Sonics victories.

The Spurs won the last two regular-season meetings with the Sonics. He missed one of those games and scored 14 points in the other.

As far as how the Sonics’ are likely to adjust on defense, both teams made it clear what the priority would be after Game 1. Spurs guard Tony Parker, who scored seven points in the Spurs first three possessions of Game 1, said he expects to get more attention from the Sonics’ defense. Seattle’s Nick Collison said Seattle’s big men need to do a better job of helping slow the Spurs’ guards when they get close to the basket.

Watching on TV Game 1 of the Spurs-Sonics tiff, Rick Adelman must have wondered who the dainties were in green, according to Seattle Post-Intelligencer columnist Art Thiel.

Seattle’s Luke Ridnour tried to sleep once he got back to his hotel room on Sunday. No luck. Game 1 was the kind of loss that makes you burn the midnight oil and then some, according to Danny O’Neil of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Presumably, there’s a Plan B. The Sonics, however, weren’t divulging what their alternative course of action, according to Percey Allen of the Seattle Times.

The morning after didn’t look much better for the Sonics than the night before, according to Seattle Times columnist Steve Kelley.

The speed of the game was much too fast for the Sonics, who scored the game’s first basket and then surrendered nine consecutive points, falling behind for good en route to a rout, according to Tony Mejia of Sportsline.com.